Stuffed Peppers made with beef and rice in a savory marinara sauce. Easily made in the slow cooker for a comforting dinner.
Whether it be the classic stuffed pepper recipe, stuffed pepper soup or even a twist like taco meatloaf stuffed peppers, you can’t beat the flavor of peppers and beef!
This recipe for Slow Cooker Beef and Rice Stuffed Peppers I use a marinara sauce. I’ve made them with a sweetened diced tomato sauce, a salsa for the sauce, and a ketchup brown sugar topping. I really like the way these stuffed peppers are with the marinara sauce, it tasted great with the beef, rice and bell peppers.
How to make stuffed peppers in a crockpot:
- Bell peppers – I love green bell peppers in this recipe though any color will work. If your bell peppers are very large you may need to use less than five. Be sure to save and chop the bell pepper tops and stir into the filling
- Ground beef – In this recipe, I brown and crumble the meat, this makes for a loose filling, not a meatloaf style stuffed bell peppers.
- Rice – Leftover cooked rice works well in this recipe.
- Onion – Diced white onion
- Marinara – I choose to use marinara instead of tomato sauce or diced tomatoes, marinara sauce (or spaghetti sauce) already has a great flavor base to start with. You can use homemade marinara sauce if desired.
How long do I cook?
- Place the lid on the slow cooker.
- Cook on LOW for 5 hours, without opening the lid during the cooking time.
Can I add cheese to this?
- Stuffed peppers often have cheese on top. Though adding cheese is optional.
- If you want a cheese fix, add about 2 tablespoons of shredded mozzarella cheese to each pepper 10 minutes before the cooking time is up.
Can I use a different type of meat?
Try one of these meat options instead of ground beef if you prefer:
- Ground turkey
- Ground chicken
- Ground Italian sausage
How can I make this vegan?
- Use soy crumbles instead of beef
- Or a can of pinto beans
- Or add extra veggies such as chopped squash or asparagus to the rice mixture.
More bell pepper recipes for your slow cooker:
- Slow Cooker Stuffed Pepper Soup
- Slow Cooker Taco Meatloaf Stuffed Peppers
- Slow Cooker Pepper Steak
- Slow Cooker Salsa Steak Fajitas
- Slow Cooker Swiss Steak
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Slow Cooker Beef and Rice Stuffed Peppers
Equipment Needed:
Ingredients:
- 1 lb. ground beef
- 5 bell peppers tops cut off and diced for filling
- 1 1/2 cups cooked rice can be leftover rice
- 24 oz. jar marinara sauce, divided
- 1 small white onion diced
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 1/4 tsp. garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp. dried thyme
- 1/2 tsp. dried tarragon oregano works well too
Instructions:
- Brown the ground beef in a skillet on the stove top. Drain.
- Add the beef, cut up bell pepper tops, rice, 1 cup of the marinara sauce, onion, salt, garlic powder, thyme and tarragon to a medium sized bowl. Stir.
- Stuff the peppers with the filling you just made. If there is any leftover filling add it to the bottom of the slow cooker.
- Add remaining marinara sauce to the slow cooker.
- Add the stuffed peppers in the slow cooker. I try not to let them rest on the sides of the slow cooker, but most of the time they end up falling over later.
- Cover and cook on LOW for 5 hours without opening the lid during the cooking time.
How to Video:
Recipe Notes:
- Stuffed peppers often have cheese on top, though adding cheese is optional.
- If you want a cheese fix, add about 2 tablespoons of shredded mozzarella cheese to each pepper 10 minutes before the cooking time is up.
- Ground turkey
- Ground chicken
- Ground Italian sausage
- Use soy crumbles instead of beef
- Or a can of pinto beans
- Or add extra veggies such as chopped squash or asparagus to the rice mixture.
Nutrition Information:
Nutrition info is auto-generated. This information is an estimate; if you are on a special diet, please use your own calculations.
I wanted to love this but it was just so bland and needed to cook longer.
Sounds delicious. Can I use shrimp instead of the browned beef? Any change in seasoning?
Hi, that would take some major testing since shrimp only needs a little time to cook. Sorry, I’m no help!
What can I serve with these? Baked potatoes ? Mashed potato? Not sure what to pair with it
Mashed potatoes are probably your best bet if you want starch.
Scalloped potatoes are a favorite in my family!
Can the stuffed peppers be frozen once cooled
Yes, they freeze and thaw well.
This is the recipe for stuffed peppers I’ve been searching for. Thank you!
I have 2 questions: First, can I use a slow cooker liner for this recipe? And second, can I cut the peppers in half before stuffing them, rather than cutting off the tops? TIA!
Thank you for the recipe. I lost my Mother in January this year and this dish is a childhood favorite. I’m delighted to make the dish. Mom always used raw beef, uncooked rice, all the veggies and seasoning in this recipe but she used tomato juice instead of marinara sauce. Baked in oven on 350° for 35 to 45 minutes. We would splith the pepper in half and pour more tomato juice. We always looked forward to this meal. Thank you for sharing. God bless!
I lost my mom a year ago and she was a wonderful cook and loved to cook. I however did not inherit that gene, I don’t like to cook never have. I have moved back home to take care of my dad. With all this COVID stuff I have been working from home and the slower cooker has become my friend. I found this and first time EVER making stuff peppers and they turned out so good. The only thing for me was the marina sauce it was a little to spice hot for my dad. He is a survivor of mouth cancer and anything with a little heat he can’t eat. The next time I made them I use spaghetti sauce he loved them. Y’all just don’t know how much this website has helped me!
Awe. It’s nice to have you here.
I would definitely try cooking stuffed peppers in my slow cooker. I used to brown the hamburger before stuffing, but I now mix the meat, herbs, spices, and an egg – as though for a neat loaf– and do NOT cook prior to stuffing the pepper. They come or delicious! So… I am wondering about slow cooker cooking time if I prepared them that way. Do you think the peppers would hold up with a longer cooking time? Thanks for any thoughts on this.
Hi Penny! I do this sometimes, here is another recipe that is similar to what you are describing. I cook on low for 5 hours without opening the lid during the cooking time. https://www.themagicalslowcooker.com/taco-meat-loaf-stuffed-peppers/
5 hour is a long time for cooked ground beef. I agree
Just finished this recipe. It tasted great. I cooked them in the crock pot on high. I used tomatoe sauce and added extra spices, as I did not have marinara. Will definitely cook them again. Thank you!
Can you use tomato sauce instead of marinara sauce
You can but you will need to add salt, pepper and seasonings to it.
This recipe tasted great!! I cut my peppers in half so it is easier for my kids to eat. The recipe turned out fantastic. I froze the leftovers and gave them to my father in law and he really enjoyed them. I have made this recipe with chicken and beef it tastes great either way. I added corn when I made it with chicken.
Thank you.